FA Cup Weekend Feb. 16th-17th

Saturday, 16 February 2008
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Bristol Rovers v Southampton, R5, 12:30
Cardiff v Wolverhampton, R5, 15:00
Chelsea v Huddersfield, R5, 15:00
Coventry v West Brom, R5, 15:00
Liverpool v Barnsley, R5, 15:00
Man Utd v Arsenal, R5, 17:15

Sunday, 17 February 2008
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Preston v Portsmouth, R5, 16:00
Sheff Utd v Middlesbrough, R5, 14:00

Well it gives us who have been bounced a week to rest up, even though it blows that Bellamy is out for the season.

Liverpool and Chelsea to win by a few goals, Arsenal to beat United

Will Arsenal play a full strength team?

Our squad isn't that big at the moment with all the injuries so we may be forced to play certain players that would have probably been rested in this fixture.

It certainly won't be a Carling Cup team.

Ade and Eduardo up front? What do you make of Bentdner Cesc? Should he be getting more games?

Luis wrote:Will Arsenal play a full strength team?

no, no need for that

Bacary Sagna will miss Saturday's game because of personal reasons. Gael Clichy and Philippe Senderos are doubts as well, the good news is that they are only minor knocks and will make the AC Milan game.

The backline picks itself:

Hoyte . . Toure* . . Gallas* . . Traore

* Unless Wenger moves Gilberto to centreback

I would have rested him anyway. Do you know if he will be back for the Milan game?

Is Walcott injured? I didn't know why he wasn't in the squad on Monday. If we've got a few other wide players available we can always stick Eboue at right-back.

Arsenal vs United will be a draw, a result neither team wants.

Cesc wrote:Bacary Sagna will miss Saturday's game because of personal reasons. Gael Clichy and Philippe Senderos are doubts as well, the good news is that they are only minor knocks and will make the AC Milan game.

The backline picks itself:

Hoyte . . Toure* . . Gallas* . . Traore

* Unless Wenger moves Gilberto to centreback

This is gonna be an interesting match considering Traore can't defend. Will SAF take the opportunity to rest Cronaldo or will the possibility of him playing against Traore be too much of a tease to turn down.

I expect both of us to rest 3/4 players for this. The CL ties are far too important.

I have no idea what Sagna's personal reasons are, but hopefully he will be ready for Wednesday. Hoyte played against Newcastle in the last round, so I think Wenger will see this as an opportunity to play him.

Walcott picked up a last minute thigh injury for the Blackburn game and with Diaby a doubt as well, we may move Eboue as a right midfielder and Hleb/Rosicky on the left.

I think Man Utd will put out a close to full strength team after the Manchester derby display.

Ronaldo should be rested the Lyon and Newcastle games are far more important.

According to Emmanuel Adebayor, his main rival for the Golden Boot has skills you would normally only see on a computer game.

Cristiano Ronaldo set English football alight last season, winning both Player of the Year prizes and scoring 17 goals in 34 Premier League appearances. If anything he is scaling even dizzier heights this term with 19 goals in 20 League games.

Adebayor is neck-and-neck with Ronaldo at the top of the Premier League scoring charts and has the utmost respect for the Manchester United star. The Golden Boot is clearly not Adebayor's priority but, if he is to win it, he knows he has to eclipse one of the world's finest.

"He is a player I like to watch," admitted Adebayor. "He has a lot of quality and watching him is like watching something else, it is like playing on the PlayStation sometimes.

"He is an amazing footballer and I show him a lot of respect for what he has done this season. There are not a lot of players, especially midfielders, who can achieve what he has achieved.


Adebayor >>> Shazlx

Also Fabregas, Henry and Hleb share the same sentiments. They are not wrong.

Raifael wrote:According to Emmanuel Adebayor, his main rival for the Golden Boot has ball tricks you would normally only see on a computer game.



Adebayor >>> Shazlx

Also Fabregas, Henry and Hleb share the same sentiments. They are not wrong.

Basically Ade is saying Cronaldo's body movements are robotic and premeditated (probably not the right word).The real show pony is Berbatov. Notice the lack of stepovers and fake disguised passes .

Why do top clubs even bother playing in this league cups? Inter and Juve played pretty much second string teams in their Italian Cup quarterfinal clash, and now Man U and Arsenal are probably going to do the same. Then why do they even talk about winning the treble when they clearly don’t rate this trophies?

It’s like they said with Blackburn, Fiorentina, Everton, etc spending the whole season trying to qualify for UEFA Cup and then playing second string teams in UEFA Cup because they are trying to qualify for UEFA Cup.

Of course the league and champions league are the most important but surely big teams should be taking FA Cup, Coppa Italia, and Copa De la Rey seriously. I hope we see strong teams tomorrow.

Who said we are putting second string teams out?

I'd wager that both sides will put out fairly strong teams, with at least 6-7 first teamers.

Parks lives wrote:Who said we are putting second string teams out?

I'd wager that both sides will put out fairly strong teams, with at least 6-7 first teamers.

6-7 first teamers dont make a strong team considering Rooney and Evra are back which means United should be playing their strong team.

But then again we dont know which teams are gonna play, but i'm hoping it'll be strongest teams available.

Luis wrote:Will Arsenal play a full strength team?

I think the question Lulu is, will United?

What would United and Aresnal fans expected line ups

rza wrote:

Parks lives wrote:Who said we are putting second string teams out?

I'd wager that both sides will put out fairly strong teams, with at least 6-7 first teamers.

6-7 first teamers dont make a strong team considering Rooney and Evra are back which means United should be playing their strong team.

But then again we dont know which teams are gonna play, but i'm hoping it'll be strongest teams available.

Yes it does, because in some areas the cover is as strong as the first team starter. There's no great difference between Nani and Giggs, considering how poorly Giggs has been. Plus we have 4 very strong central midfielders so any two will still give us a strong outfit.

vdS
Evra
Vidic
Rio
Brown/Simpson
Giggs/Nani
Hargreaves/Carrick
Anderson/Scholes
Ronaldo
Rooney
Tevez


In those 4 positions highlighted there is not a massive difference.

Only major step down is if we drop someone like Rio, Ronaldo or Rooney.

Rafa has said he'll play a strong team so.............

--------------------------Intanje

Finnan----------Carra----------Hobbs---------Aurelio

Benayoun-----Masch---------Lucas--------Kewell

--------------------Kuyt----------Babel

I'll settle for that.

shazlx wrote:

Raifael wrote:According to Emmanuel Adebayor, his main rival for the Golden Boot has ball tricks you would normally only see on a computer game.



Adebayor >>> Shazlx

Also Fabregas, Henry and Hleb share the same sentiments. They are not wrong.

Basically Ade is saying Cronaldo's body movements are robotic and premeditated (probably not the right word).The real show pony is Berbatov. Notice the lack of stepovers and fake disguised passes .

I think you’ve misread what he was saying is C Ronaldo style is so ‘fantabolous’ that the only way it can be recreated is in a artificial game. Eye catching and mouth-watering.

rza wrote:Why do top clubs even bother playing in this league cups? Inter and Juve played pretty much second string teams in their Italian Cup quarterfinal clash, and now Man U and Arsenal are probably going to do the same. Then why do they even talk about winning the treble when they clearly don’t rate this trophies?

It’s like they said with Blackburn, Fiorentina, Everton, etc spending the whole season trying to qualify for UEFA Cup and then playing second string teams in UEFA Cup because they are trying to qualify for UEFA Cup.

Of course the league and champions league are the most important but surely big teams should be taking FA Cup, Coppa Italia, and Copa De la Rey seriously. I hope we see strong teams tomorrow.

In a age were the Big clubs are getting richer and small clubs getting poorer, too many Foreigners and not enough english players coming through and the CL is becoming the bigger and richer competition...etc etc..

I think uphelding a 100 year Tradition of the F.A Cup and giving it the respect deserve, is a Honourable thing....

It shouldn't be all about the money and this competition is all about the Glory of it...

I think its good to see this competition is still going strong after over 100 years..

By all means take away the Carling Cup (even if we are in the Final), that perhaps is pointless...

Sir Alex Ferguson:

“I don’t think either side will play the team that everyone expects," he said. "We’ll make a couple of changes.

"My view is that with massive games like Arsenal and then Lyon on Wednesday, you have to give a lot of consideration to how you balance out your teams. Hopefully I get it right.”

Maybe this will be the Man Utd starting XI?


I think Fletcher will start because he hasn't played for a while and he normaly plays well against Arsenal.

Carrick or Scholes or Anderson or Hargreaves, i think Carrick will start because of his goal last week and because against Lyon i think SAF will start with Scholes and Hargreaves.

Park + Nani > Ronaldo(rest) + Giggs(form)

Lyon's not that big, easy win for United at OT and a defensive draw or 1-0 win at Lyon

I can see Arsenal maybe playing a side like this:

---------Lehmann

Hoyte--Toure--Gallas--Traore

Eboue--Cesc--Gilberto--Hleb

------Bendtner--Eduardo

---------------
We've got a lot of players who might miss out though with injuries. I'm not sure if we will have any senior players on the bench unless some of the injured players pass a late fitness test.

Luis wrote:Lyon's not that big, easy win for United at OT and a defensive draw or 1-0 win at Lyon

Never underestimate.

---------------Reina-------------------

------Finnan------Carra-------Hyypia--------Riise--------------

--------Pennant-----Lucas------Alonso-------Benayoun-----------

-----------------------Babel---------Crouch--------------------------

does that mean you think it will be Torres and Kuyt upfront against Inter?